Fate's Awakening
by FyreScribe
Summary: Zelas Mettalium seems to be having a rough couple of days. (Xel/Fi slight pairing as well as a Zelas/other)
1. Default Chapter

Fate

Fate's Awakening 

a fan story by [FyreScribe][1]

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Slayers including but hardly limited to its characters of Xellos, Zelas, and Filia. The plot, though not the basic one, as I'm sure it has been used time and time again, does belong to me, however. As does the character of Wolf. Relations original characters and setting have with characters and settings accurately created by the Slayers crew are simply the author's need to write speaking out in full force. And after all, folks, it _is_ fiction.

**Notice: **Permission is given to those webmasters who wish to post this fic on their sites, however, you must e-mail me first, as currently only fanfiction.net has permission to post this fic. Simply send an e-mail to [fyrescribe@yahoo.com][1] that clearly states your URL and I will gladly give you consent to post. 

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**Authors Notes: **Since I tend to write by the chapter, I'll put some more notes at the end of this chapter, however, before you start reading, there are some things you should know. While containing some Xellos/Filia content, this fic focuses on Zelas Metallium. As a character that is never fleshed out in the series, she is open to interpretation. While you may view differently, this is how I choose to view her. I also believe firmly in the fact that mazoku can indeed experience positive emotions. This is a romance fic, after all. Also, I should make it clear, if you have a problem with a character from a series and an original character paired together (though I still make the plea that you stick around for this one), then you'd probably do best not to continue reading. 

- [FyreScribe][1] 6.14.01 

Chapter One

It was rather cold the night Zelas Metallium received the oncoming slaughter of bad news. She stepped out of the large cave on Wolfpack Island wearing a low-cut shirt patched with thin fur along with a pair of tight-fitting pants and boots, a rather safe gamble when venturing about her domain, as the weather was usually of a tolerable warmth. That night, however, a chilling breeze washed over the island from the east. Instinct told her it was not just coincidence.   


Merely the vague sense that something had filled the void behind her was enough to make the Beast Master turn. Her gaze locked upon a man with purple hair that fell to rest just above his shoulders.   


"Not in your hunting attire, Ju-ou-sama?" He observed.   


She looked him over once. She had never been one for wasting her time on rhetorical questions, nor had she ever attempted to fill in detail when it was not needed. Too much time would be wasted.  


"What brings you back so soon, Xellos?"   


Son, she could be tempted to call him at times. Biologically, he was hardly her heir. She had created him as her general and priest, age giving a voice of reason to her stubborn nature. As far as she knew, there was no way a mazoku could become 'pregnant', as the humans called it. It simply wasn't possible. Perhaps a downcast upon things, but then again, who needed such frivolities when you could simply create a being the exact way you wanted it to be? Humans had no such liberties. They often times had to settle for whatever became of their child.   


"Well..."   


He was stalling for time, she noticed with what seemed to be a bit of irritance, though it could have been a distinct boredom at the situation. The shadows seemed to play with her expression in a way that it was almost impossible to tell. Only the edge in her voice gave away her true feelings toward the subject.   


"Get on with it, Xellos. I haven't got all day."   


"Ju-ou-sama, you remember sending me to fetch the infant Valteria?"  


"Don't ask me questions you already know the answer to..."   


Xellos noticed with a bit of nervousness that the Beast Master's tail was swishing in a rather impatient manner. She was not in her mazoku form at the moment, but even in her seemingly human appearance, even with her powers as a Dark Lord, there were things she couldn't conceal. The mistress of secrets, as some had been known to call her, kept always in the outward human form a bushy gray tail that often times conveyed more emotion than her expression, along with pointed ears, much like those of an elf, but with distinct animal qualities.   


"I'm afraid I could not get him away from the Golden Dragon Priestess, Ju-ou-sama."  


"We already went over what to do if she would not allow you to take him."  


"Yes, but..."  


"But what? My instructions were clear, Xellos. What is this hesitance? You've never been hesitant to carry out any of my orders before."  


"That is because the outcome of those orders did not matter to me, Ju-ou-sama."  


"What are you saying?"   


She knew very well what he was saying. The abrupt coldness that found its way into her scrutinizing gaze. The way her lip was curled up in nearly a snarl, displaying the two fangs that protruded the rest of her teeth. The unruly manipulation of her tail as it swished back and forth, much in the manner of a cat, though the tail was clearly wolf.   
Something, some petty sense, was holding him back from killing the Priestess. She knew what it was, or at least what he probably thought it was. His 'feelings' toward her. She had seen it over the past few months. Perhaps, she reasoned, she had known it all along. She was never one to believe that a mazoku was completely incapable of positive feeling, but toward a dragon!   


"I cannot kill her."   


"That, son," she said with an awkward sort of tinge, as if at this moment, he were not of her creation, "is not the wisest thing you have ever said to me."  


"You told me to inform you when I had difficulties with any mission..."   


"I also told you to kill that dragon woman, and so long as I am alive, you will kill her! Either that, or I will do it myself!" She nearly snarled.   


"You can't, Ju-ou-sama. I can't, because... I love her."   


Zelas' mouth remained open in surprise. She knew it to be true, but the words, they had just never been there. Love. A despicable word in her mind. Experience had taught her that. Her anger flared, so much so that she felt her nails dig into her palms. She would have been rightfully angry just out of protection. She would never wish such a plague upon him as had been set upon herself once before, but a dragon!  


"You.... what?"  


"You heard me very well, Ju-ou-sama."   


"Xellos, I suggest you rethink what you just told me. Perhaps it can be forgotten..." Her fists were balled, teeth clenched together, her tail at a stiff stand-still.   


"I have rethought it. It makes no sense, I know. Mazoku are incapable of such emotions, I know. But I have no other way to explain it, Ju-ou-sama. I can't kill her. I couldn't bring myself to do it."   


For a long time there was silence, though words still seemed to pass between the two. Silent threats, thought-out pleas, anger from both sides. Finally Zelas broke the silence.  


"This may sound rather parental to you, Xellos, but as a Dark Lord, I forbid it!"  


"What if this is the first step toward peace for the ryuzoku and the mazoku? Do you really want to spend all of your life fighting some never-ending battle?"   


"Wh...where is this coming from?! You are mazoku! You were made to kill! You were created with a hatred toward all ryuzoku, and now you're telling me you love one of them?"  


"You are taking..."  


"Go away, Xellos."   


There was something in the way she said it that made him back up. She was past the point of glaring, past the point of argument. Now there was to be a silence in which she expected him to make the right decision.   


"Did you not hear me? I said go away! I don't wish your death, Xellos, but if you don't leave right now, you will give me no choice."  


He cast a grim frown in her general direction. "No matter what you say, Ju-ou-sama, my mind is made up." He said calmly before disappearing just as suddenly as he had arrived.  


Zelas stared blankly at the spot where he had stood, and for the longest time, it seemed as if she had just ceased to function. What had happened was completely unorthodox. She was a Dark Lord! How could she let something of this magnitude occur? She should have killed the dragon woman ages ago and then killed her general-priest should he offer even a breath of protest.   


But there was something that kept her from doing so. She would invariably be alone once again. It would only be a matter of time before the two remaining Dark Lords pounced upon her weaknesses, exploiting them to their fullest. Let him do whatever he wished, she reasoned, as long as it didn't interfere with his duty to her. Otherwise...  
But even that was an empty threat. There was some sort of a bond between them, or at least on Zelas' half, that she felt could not be broken. He was her son. Maybe not in blood, but always in spirit. And even now, he was exemplifying her stubborn nature by making the same mistakes she had made.   


"Let him fall for the same trap." She thought aloud. "He can learn from his mistakes just as I learned from mine." 

**Author's Notes (cont)****: **Well, there you have it. The first chapter. The characterization of Xellos is horrible, I know, and I'm very sorry. However, he's not the main focus in this story, as I'm sure you've gathered by now. In the next chapter I plan on introducing that oh so dreaded 'original character'. Trust me, I'll try to make it as painless as possible. You may even learn to like him, eh? And if all else fails, I can resort to the fact that I am not the only person to have been bold enough to write a Zelas pairing. To the authors of _How Terim Met Zelas_, a humble bow from me. You broke into the field, and I must say I was impressed. To all who have yet to read that fic, it can be found at Darkness Rising (darknessrising.com) along with lots of other wonderful fics. There's even a sub-section just for Zelas. So, until next time, please, do a pitiful author a favor by leaving some comments?

**Coming in Chapter Two: **Zelas' bad-luck streak continues with a few words from L-sama, graciously followed by a meeting between Dark Lords, along with the mazoku's newest recruit, a half mazoku, half human named Wolf. Perhaps she should have stayed in bed that morning, eh?

   [1]: mailto:fyrescribe@yahoo.com



	2. Chapter Two

Fate

Fate's Awakening 

a fan story by [FyreScribe][1]

Chapter Two

The second bit of bad news arrived rather swiftly after the first. Zelas had obtained some time to think things through, having an internal debate for a few minutes, each side demanding, with concrete evidence, that she should do something different. Suddenly something else popped into her thoughts. Something that did not hold her voice. Something that had told her the Dynast Grausherra had been killed.   


Her initial reaction was one of surprise as the voice, unmistakable as the Lord of Nightmares', continued. It told her that a meeting was to be held in a few moments, and that she was required to attend. With a rather jostling silence, the voice disappeared, and Zelas was left to her own thoughts.  


Grausherra... dead? How was that possible? He was the strongest of those three that remained, and certainly the wisest. How could he even allow the opportunity...  
But then again, she thought with a wave of bitterness, the man had been so cold, there was no telling how deep his wisdom ran. No one had ever been close enough to tell. She would know. She had been one of the foolish few who had tried.   


It had been nearly a year ago. Things were slowing down as far as mazoku wars went. Even Xellos seemed to appear more, for Lina Inverse was no longer on the move. Days sitting around in the cave she called home just weren't what they used to be, and Xellos proved to be no company. It seemed he was always busy with something. Probably doting over that dragon, she managed now.   


Those serving below her were out of the question because in reality, there was only Xellos. Or at least he was the only one she knew well enough to talk to. But there were two other Dark Lords. Dolphin was out of the question. Ever since the war she and Dolphin had been on separate ends. It was a petty feud, and for the life of her, she couldn't remember what started it, but she wasn't prepared to find out by dropping in for a visit. And besides, Dolphin was just as protective of her territory as she was.   


That left Grausherra. The thought of even venturing as far as the Northern Footholds, and in the Footholds' prominent weather conditions, turned her away from the idea initially, but boredom soon caught hold of her and she soon found herself leaving the small cave.   


She never knew why, but she had always been attracted to human forms. Perhaps it was because for the mot part, she stayed within hers, and the majority of the Dark Lords, their priests, and their generals, stayed within theirs, as well. It had become commonplace.   


Now, looking back on the mistakes she had made, the haughty assumptions that she could have anything she wanted, she wished she had never felt that attraction. Particularly with Grausherra. She had stayed in the Footholds just to bother him at first, as it seemed to test his nerves quite well, but during that time she had observed him, and upon that observation she noted that it had been quite some time since anything male, and attainable, had crossed her path.  
She had set out with a simple plan. Seduction was no foreign word to her, and if she had any intuition whatsoever, she could bet Grausherra was just the same as any other hot-blooded male. But the more he avoided her as if she were hardly present the more she wanted him. And she had succeeded in her initial task. With a heavy dose of wine Grausherra had finally given in.   


She had been set to leave that following morning, but something tugged as her conscious mind. What she did not know was certainly a human longing for something more than just a one-night stand. Thinking back, she often-times wondered when she had ever become so disgustingly human.   


Nevertheless, she had stayed, thinking little of it at the time. Every time she would try and speak with him on a personal level he would shun her, the glare that seemed ever-present in his expression somewhat disheartening. But no, she didn't learn from that. She kept testing her boundaries until, with the last of his patience, he had told her to leave.   


Of course, she had refused, and what followed then were what turned her away from the entire idea of mazoku ever feeling such a hurtful emotion as love. She had left then, still keeping her composure, until she had returned home, grabbed a large bottle of wine from a secret stash, and downed it in hardly five minutes' time.   
Mazoku, she reasoned presently, could not feel what the humans called love. Mazoku, she reasoned, could only feel love's bitter sting.   


***

  
Zelas was, not so coincidentally, the last one to arrive at the meeting. Ever since Shabranigdo's demise she had never felt comfortable coming to meetings run by L-sama. One was never to be sure which side she was on. Zelas assumed she was just neutral and kept her mouth shut concerning any of the mazoku's plans. No one could tell whether she spoke to human or ryuzoku on the same basis, so it was best to be on the safe side.   


She took her seat on the side of the table opposite Dolphin, ignoring the woman's cold stare. The seat on either end was left empty. No one ever sat in the one to her left, but just a few weeks prior, Grausherra had sat in the one to her right, staring at the table as if it held his interest more than she ever could.   


"Glad to see you could make it, Zelas." Dolphin began in a taunting voice.   


Zelas cast a look that clearly told every insult she wished to throw at the woman.   


"Keep your petty feuds to yourselves or I will be forced to simply rid the mazoku of your existence."   


For a moment, as L-sama' voice drifted into her mind, Zelas thought her idea didn't seem like that bad of a choice.   


"Now, you have both received word of the Dynast Grausherra's death. It seems he and his generals found their way into ryuzoku territory and were killed there. Outnumbered, so to speak. Over one hundred to three."  


How stupid, Zelas thought. So much for Grausherra being known as the wisest of the Dark Lords. Every mazoku knew better than to purposefully trespass on ryuzoku land without at least fifty other mazoku for backup. Of course, Grausherra never was one to hide his arrogance very well.   


"So I have taken the time to fill his position."  


"Fill his position?" Zelas thought aloud. "And what of filling Phibrizzo's and Gaav's positions?"  


"Three was a stable number for the mazoku to still have a fighting chance. Two, and a feuding two, at that, will fall to the ryuzoku as soon as they all get word of Grausherra's death. It's only a matter of time now."  


Zelas knew she was right, but another Dark Lord on such short notice? Who did she think was capable?  


"In that respect," she continued. "this meeting was in essence called not for you to be informed of the dynast's death, for I could have simply told you that, but for you to meet the new Supreme King."   


Suddenly the wall on the far right side of the small enclosure began a wave-like motion, fading into the picture of a man with brown and black hair. Instantly Zelas felt something odd about him.  


"He is human!" She blurted out.   


"Partially," L-sama said in answer. "He is human and mazoku."  


"And you think he is qualified to be a mazoku Dark Lord?"  


"I'm positive he is qualified, and I'd suggest you take your seat, Beast King."  


Zelas took her seat, staring accusingly at the picture. The man looked entirely human except for a few select features. Patches of brown fur lined his dark brown shirt and light pants. Black boots and brown gloves proved to be hardly suspicious. However the bushy black tail, the tail of perhaps a wolf or fox, though Zelas clearly assumed the former, and the pointed ears were what gave away, if any, a sense of mazoku.  


"He is a superb fighter, good with a sword, something I think such a position needs more than outstanding wit. That's not to say he isn't intelligent, for as far as I've seen, he is. But he does have a tendency to argue, ever more so than you, Beast King, so I'm sure he'll fit in."   


Before Zelas could think of a retort the seat to the right of her was filled after a brief flash of light and L-sama's instruction that they all 'play nice'. Zelas and Dolphin simply stared at the new presence. Clearly uncomfortable, the man stood, and Zelas was now certain his tail was that of a black wolf's.   


He cleared his throat before beginning to speak. "I know you all must not be entirely happy to see me, after the death of a comrade, but I promise you I can prove myself."  


Dashing, Zelas thought, but not spirited enough to keep her quiet.   


"And to whom do we owe this ... pleasant surprise?" Zelas asked, voice dripping with disdain as she asked his name in a rather complicated manner.   


"People call me Wolf." He said simply.   


Zelas suppressed a laugh. "People? And what 'people' would those be?"  


"He's telling you his name is Wolf, Zelas, just deal with it." Dolphin said, just loud enough for Zelas to hear.   


"Alright then, Mister Wolf..."  


"Wolf will be just fine."   


Zelas clenched her teeth together. "Wolf... what makes you think you are so qualified?"  


"Obviously, wolf woman, you have found something you utterly despise about me, so why do you even bother asking?" He taunted.   


Her anger flared until her teeth were clenched together so that she thought they might shatter from the pressure, her nails digging into the flesh of her palms. How dare he call her such a name! She tried to remain calm... not let this... this human get to her, and for a moment, she succeeded, knowing that she would have her chance to get him back for treating her in such a manner. 

  
"But just for the record, I don't think I'm qualified." A smug grin crossed his face.  


"You're certainly right about that..." Zelas said almost under her breath. "Is this meeting adjourned yet?" She asked, hoping L-sama's presence was still with them.   


"If you wish to leave, Beast King," the powerful woman's voice interrupted her thoughts. "be my guest, but at some point in time you are going to have to cooperate with him."  


"Then I will take my leave," she said before disappearing and finishing in thought, "we'll see how long he lasts. This 'point in time' may never even arrive."

**Author's Notes (cont)****: **And finally, the second chapter. I apologize for any typos, as my keyboard is sticking. Thanks for the comments on chapter one. I'd like to hear your take and chapter two, and if I should even continue this fic. Let me know what you think of the new character so far. I would greatly appreciate it. (Oh, and yes, he seems like a smug jerk at the moment. He's supposed to. Don't worry, he's not that annoying all the time.)

**Coming in Chapter Three: **Dolphin decides another meeting will benefit all involved and threatens quite the binding situation if Wolf and Zelas don't at least tone down their arguments. 

   [1]: mailto:fyrescribe@yahoo.com



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